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Jan Boivin was recently appointed as the Senior Vice President of Human Resources and Organizational Effectiveness for Hawaii Pacific Health (HPH). In this role, she will oversee human resources for more than 7,000 employees across HPH medical centers, clinics, and other facilities throughout Hawaii.  She was also appointed to the Hawaii  Dental Service Board of Directors.

A proud graduate of Leilehua High School, Jan earned her bachelor’s degree from Willamette University and her Juris Doctorate from the Georgetown University Law Center. She previously served as the Senior Vice President, General Counsel, and Board Secretary at Hawaii Pacific University.

Jan has been an active AJS member and currently serves as the Vice President of the AJS Board of Directors and co-chaired the AJS Long Range Planning Committee alongside Doug Chin and Sylvia Yuen.

Nearly 50 summer clerks, interns and young lawyers had an opportunity to spend a day with judges and other seasoned professionals at the AJS’s 29^th annual Sidebar Program on July 25, 2024, continuing AJS’s long-standing commitment of investing in the next generation of lawyers.

The annual program is open to summer associates from law firms, judicial and government agency law clerks and other new lawyers for a day of education and networking with each other and veteran professionals.

The beautiful, historic Hawaii Supreme Court Courtroom served as the backdrop for this special program that has served as a way to convey the importance of perpetuating a fair judicial system to the next generation of lawyers for nearly 30 years.

A Distinguished Panel

This year’s distinguished panel, moderated by Hawaii Supreme Court Chief Justice Mark Recktenwald, included Hawaiʻi Supreme Court Associate Justice Vladimir P. Devens, First Circuit Court Judge Lisa W. Cataldo, First Circuit Court Judge John M. Tonaki, First Circuit District Court Judge Karin L. Holma, and United States Magistrate Judge Wes Reber Porter.

“Our Sidebar Program typically features a moderated panel discussion of issues often faced in the early years of practice from the perspective of seasoned judges, followed by small-group breakout sessions with individual judges,” said the Hon. Jeannette Castagnetti, who serves as co-chair of the Sidebar Program.

The other co-chairs are The Hon. Todd Eddins, Associate Justice of the Hawaii Supreme Court; Calvert Chipchase, partner at Cades Schutte and AJS board member; and Carrie Okinaga, Vice President for Legal Affairs at the University of Hawaii. Brian Kang, partner with Watanabe Ing;and Colin Miwa, Senior Counsel with Cades Schutte, also serve on the Sidebar Committee.

Artificial Intelligence: A Timely Topic for the Legal Community

This year’s Sidebar Program sparked lively conversation and engagement. The participants were presented hypothetical scenarios involving ethical obligations pertaining to the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in submissions to the court and to clients, and the security of confidential client communications when using cloud-based solutions. 

Chief Justice Recktenwald and the panel offered keen and pointed insights, and the attendees were able to vote how they would respond to those hypothetical issues in real time via “clickers.”

“With the increasing use of AI in our legal community, the Sidebar Program gave us an opportunity to explore this timely issue,” said Associate Justice Eddins. “Thanks especially to the expertise of Associate Justice Devins and Judge Tonaki, we were able to present a completely new set of hypothetical situations involving ethical and practical considerations arising when attorneys use AI and the responsibilities of supervising attorneys.”

Hope for the Future

The sincerity and enthusiasm of the young lawyers gave the seasoned professionals hope that the next generation is well prepared to carry the torch forward and be ready to successfully tackle institutional challenges in the future.

As in previous years, a reception followed the panel discussion. The attendees divided themselves into small groups to enjoy time with the judges, sharing about their career paths and experiences before the bench as well as on the bench.

All of those who registered for the program received a complimentary one-year membership in AJS, a $50 value.

Written evaluations from the Sidebar Program attendees were overwhelmingly positive, with many expressing their appreciation for the opportunity to interact with judges. Next year, the Sidebar Committee plans to make the program available remotely for those on the neighbor islands, if there is sufficient demand.

Mahalo to all the AJS Sidebar Committee members for another successful Sidebar Program!

Thanks to the hard work and diligence of the AJS Ad Hoc Committee on Judicial Security and a team of stakeholders, Hawaii now has a stronger law to protect judges and their family members from threats, harassment, and violent behavior.

HB1916 HD1 SD1 CD1 successfully made its way through the gauntlet of legislative committee hearings this legislative session and has been signed by Gov. Josh Green. The AJS Ad Hoc Committee on Judicial Security doggedly monitored the progress of the bill throughout the legislative session that ended Friday, May 3, and is pleased with the outcome.

Past threats and assault cases have shown that perpetrators had access to personal information of judges or other public officials and, in some cases, have shown up at their front door. The bill prohibits protected personal information of certain public officials from being posted on the internet, where the information might be used to find and track public officials.

The bill offers protections to a broad swathe of public officials, including active, formerly active, and retired judges in federal and state courts, court administrators and deputies, as well as the governor, lieutenant governor, department directors, and legislators. The bill also covers employees and volunteers of the Office of Elections, and others who may be designated by certain government leaders.

Modeled after laws passed in Congress and other states, the bill prohibits protected information such as a home address or photos of a home, phone numbers, vehicle and license plate numbers, names and schools of children attend, and other information from being posted on the internet, upon receiving a written request from the protected person.

It is important to note that this bill does not restrict public access to government records, nor does it prohibit a public official from posting or publishing their own personal information. If an individual violates this law, the protected person can seek relief in state court, including costs and attorney’s fees. For any violation by a government agency, the protected person can seek relief in state court, but no costs or fees.

Mahalo to all those who submitted testimony in support of this bill. We have cause to celebrate this bill being signed into law!